All in all you're just another brick in the wall

("The Wall" - Pink Floyd, 1979)

Each child is unique.  I have taught close to two thousand students in the past 7 years, and while some of them have certainly had common traits, I have never seen two children who are exactly the same.  Even identical twins are not the same, despite their physical appearance.  Since they are all different, children learn in different ways as well.  Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences identifies 9 distinct intelligences of which children may be gifted in several and lacking in others.  Teachers routinely use this knowledge to teach their lessons in a variety of ways so that every child has the opportunity to learn.

As we tighten our belts in an attempt to educate more cheaply, the first thing that suffers is always class size.  As class size increases, it becomes more difficult to teach using Gardner's theory and even the most capable teachers are sometimes forced to teach more things than they would like in a direct instruction format.  Although we have all learned that this is the least effective instructional strategy, it is a necessity as bodies multiply to fill every corner of a classroom.  There is not enough physical space for students to work on projects or in groups, and there is not enough time for teachers to conference with individual students to design independent activities geared toward each student's interests and strengths.  There is sometimes not even enough time to give adequate instruction as various behavior issues and interpersonal conflicts consume much of a teacher's time.

Please understand - when teachers complain about unwieldy class sizes, it is not because they would like to have fewer papers to grade.  It's because these educators realize that cramming 36 11-year-olds into one classroom results in a sub-par educational experience for all of them.

The number one thing we could do to improve every struggling school in America is to reduce class sizes.  Otherwise students will continue to be - pardon the overused reference - left behind.  I believe there should be a national policy limiting class sizes according to grade level and type of class.  Children with certain special needs who require extra attention should be weighted in this total.  Self-contained classrooms should also be limited.  This is common sense.  Failing to do it indicates that we don't think the next generation deserves the kind of education we received.